"....oh." This shocked him because Phoebe, the courtesan who had been providing is decreasingly awkward morning wakeup, had told him about learning about historical slavery from the rest of the world at the Slave Academy. He had a theory that the knowledge of chattel slavery, the kind that didn't come with a mutually negotiated contract, was partially why Phoebe had seemed so cold to him. This consensual submission on Nova Insula was something altogether different than historical slavery. Phoebe had seemed to view the historical variety not just as society's original sin, but as a perversion of her culture's own values. Alan made a mental note to probe deeper into the mind of the aloof courtesan who provided his morning wakeup service. As he turned his mind back to the slave in front of him, he guessed that Amber wasn't a full academy slave, and he was sure she wasn't an A+ student in school. He decided to move on.
"Yeah. Anyway. Show me how this belt works," he said. At that, Amber's eyes lit up, and she smiled wide.
"Yes Sir!" she said as she sprang up and lifted her skirt. There, squeezing her pale waist, was a shining metal belt with an arm that held a wide lozenge shape completely covering her pubic region. The lozenge shape was fitted firmly to her smooth skin and caused it to bulge slightly. After the lozenge, the arm narrowed between her thighs. Around the metal edges, there was bright red padding. He knew Master LeGuin had these custom made and fitted for all the slaves, so the red must have been chosen specifically to coordinate with Amber's long mane of scarlet. He couldn't yet see what it looked like from behind. But over where her vulva was, there was a small grate, slightly raised from the rest.
Alan's eyes betrayed his interest because Amber nearly levitated with excitement as she spun turned around to show him the rear. Her hair and unsecured parts of her hair twirled in an adorably girlish way. As she came to the end she bounced on her heels slightly as if to punctuate the landing. Her pale cheeks gave a pleasing shake around the red-lined metal. There was another small lozenge shape between them, right where her anus was. The presence of the lozenge spread her cheeks just enough that they bulged slightly more than usual around her thighs. This had a pleasing effect on someone already possessing such a striking peach shape. In the center of this lozenge was a plug that looked like a twist lock. He could guess what he was looking at, but as any good journalist ought to; he let his belted docent do most of the talking, she seemed so eager after all.
"Well Sir, what do you think?" Amber asked, looking Alan expectantly in the eyes. In a strategic moment of bashfulness, he gave a combination of "ums" and "Ah...well"s. Usually this sort of strategy worked with subject who liked to be in control. Despite the collar around her neck, Alan thought that described Amber accurately. He was right and soon she lost patience. She took a step forward, grabbed Alan's hands, and placed them on the belt. Amber took her hands off and looked down at him expectantly.
"Well, go on, Sir."
"What?" he asked. The bashfulness was becoming real at this point. He had not anticipated she would be this forward.
"Try to get in!" When he hesitated, she grabbed his hands again and made him grab the belt. She shook his wrists. "You heard me Sir, try and get to me."
Understanding what was being requested of him, Alan Merrick cautiously slid his fingers along the red padding of the metal belt. He took his time and felt all the way down toward the lozenge-shaped panel at the cleft of her hips. He paused there.
"Don't worry. It's clean. I pee through that little grate that's in there where your finger is. I clean it with the bidet and disinfect it when I'm done though."
"Ah...good," he said as he ran his fingers along the grate; it was warm from her body heat. "What about..." curiosity had gotten the better of him. Amber chuckled at him. "There's a hole in the back with a plug. If I take it out and I'm not in the bathroom, it sends an alert to Vanessa's phone. It's awful," she said with a frown.
"So, no chance of pleasure? I noticed your breasts are still free." Amber let out a 'harrumph' noise.
"I've never been able to orgasm from just my nipples. I need to be filled to cum," Amber said matter-of-factly. Alan blinked. He was slowly getting used to just how casually the Nova Insulans spoke about explicit sexual topics. Though, based on the way Amber glanced up at him through downturned eyes, he was beginning to think she enjoyed trying to make him uncomfortable.
"Ah. That must be frustrating."
"Incredibly." Amber gave a theatrical sigh, "So, keep going. Keep trying! I want you to see how tight it is!"
Amber was not the only one of the slaves that had made passes at him. Tambara liked to flirt with him on and off, though Hastur had described her as being Vanessa's wife, so he wasn't certain how that relationship functioned. Nora Holmes, the young reluctant maid had made many comments to him so far, though Dan, one of the male courtesans had warned him to steer clear of her and Alex, another male courtesan had offered to educate him on the male form. Amber was different. She was perhaps the sloppiest of the bunch. He was not surprised that she was the most frequent punished of this group. As he was thinking about this, he absentmindedly ran his hands along the belt. He felt like he was about to burst the zipper on his pants. Amber noticed this.
"You're not even trying hard at all," Amber complained impatiently. He was again caught without an answer. Before he could think of anything, she continued with "Do you want me to help you?"
"Um...." Was all Alan managed to say before she was grabbing his wrist and pressing his hand hard onto her shielded crotch. She hissed into his ear through gritted teeth.
"Grab it, Sir. Rip it off. Expose my cunt. Sir, it wants your touch so bad. I'm dripping through this god damned grate." She was indeed. There was wetness on Alan's fingers. As he became aware of this, Amber to let out the most pathetic, frustrated whine he had ever heard. She stomped her feet slightly, and he saw the skin of her legs jiggle slightly. The ripple traveled up her fatty thigh and across her ass. It stopped at the red lining of the belt. She pressed his hand against her; his other hand instinctively went around her waist, and he pulled her close to him, and his face pressed into her breasts resting inside her soft maid's dress. In this moment, he ceased being a journalist. He became base. There was no courtly love here. He was a sex-crazed creature clawing at his obstacle. He grabbed tightly onto Amber's small fat rolls with one hand and tugged at her cunt cage with the other. It was completely secure.
"Sir, I need to be fucked," she panted.
Without thinking, he began pawing at her clothes to get to her bare flesh. Once he found it, he inhaled the sweet perfumed scent that came from a thorough wash in the communal slave showers. He began to plant frenzied kisses on her chest, and his free hand found her breasts and began to squeeze. Amber let out another whine. Alan's fingers found her nipples, and he pinched as hard as he could. Releasing the infernal belt, his other hand traveled around and grabbed what it could of the flesh of her rear. Amber was panting hard now.
Just then, just as his instincts were telling him to throw her down on the couch and find some way to take her, Alan decided to come up for air only to glimpse Master LeGuin smiling at him from behind Amber. Alan reared back and pushed Amber away.
"Hastur!" Alan said in shock.
"Alan!" he said jovially.
"Master!" Amber shrieked and dropped to her knees. She immediately began to tear up. "Master, I didn't mean to...well I did mean to but I...Master I just want to...but I...and he was...and I..."
"Amber. Stop talking," Hastur said calmly. She did so. He looked back at Alan and smiled again.
"I thought I might find you here, Alan. I was going to ask if you wanted to go for a walk, and I can show you some other parts of the city. But I see you're occupied." Alan had no idea how to respond.
"I...um...Hastur--Mr.--Master LeGuin--I am so sorry." LeGuin held up a hand. Alan stopped immediately. Master LeGuin did carry a certain charisma that was hard to say no to.
"Please, my friend, my fault entirely! I made it clear to you that you had free reign over any slave you wanted to use while you were here, but I neglected to consider that one of them may get themselves locked up! Silly me for thinking everybody would be on better behavior during your stay with us." The statement was clearly meant to be a reprimand of the red-headed housemaid kneeling on the floor.
"Master I'm sor-" Amber started to blubber.
"Do not speak," Master LeGuin said sternly. She stopped talking again.
"Honestly, Amber, what are we going to do with you? I suppose you'll get the bra to match the belt next." Amber whimpered at that. Hastur grabbed one of her shoulders and pushed her upright to investigate her breasts which were still exposed. "God damn, Merrick, you've got a grip!" Alan realized in horror that he had left a bruise on her soft white breast when he squeezed. The Master of the house looked at him again, releasing his slave momentarily, "Did she even show you the best part?"
"Um..."
"Here, look, stand Amber." As she did so he grabbed the belt roughly and pulled Amber all the way to one side. He pointed to a laser etching on the waist of the belt that read 'Amber's special panties.' Master LeGuin chuckled. "Every slave has a custom set, but only one is in them so much we had them engraved." He smacked Amber hard on the ass, adding yet more color to her pale, Irish skin, and she got back into her position. He looked at him again.
"Like I was saying, Alan, you have free reign of anyone you want, but if someone is in chastity like our little red fox here, I ask you resist the urge. It's bad for their behavior. You understand?"
"Of course. I'd hate to...um...compromise...their...learning." Alan had met with terrorist leaders, arms dealers, and psychopaths and never stuttered once, but in none of those instances was he coming down from a truly animalistic erection. Ever as perceptive as anyone in his culture, Master LeGuin let out a chuckle and looked at his pants.
"I'd still like a walk, but if you need relief, I'm sure someone is available." He reached for his small radio on his belt. Alan nearly shouted.
"No! No, that's fine. I'll um...just pack up here, and we'll go wherever," he said as he hastily stuffed his laptop and notebook back in his bag.
"Lovely!" Hastur turned and looked at the now quiet ball of slave at his feet. "Ah, right...well. I'll call Vanessa. She'll deal with you. I'll deal with you tonight. Safe to say you will not be sleeping in your own bed this evening. Or 'a' bed. Go up to Amber's office and kneel outside it. Tell her what happened whenever she has time to deal with you." Amber stood and did a sort of half run out of the room to avoid being seen to cry. Hastur and Alan watched in silence for a moment, and then he turned to him.
"Complete nymphomaniac, that one. There are probably steps to be taken to mitigate that, but I'd be lying if I said she didn't liven up the place. Keeps poor Vanessa busy though." He chuckled again. "Anyway, I thought we could get lunch in town, and I could show you a proper Nova Insulan dog park! You'll love it."
"Can I take a wild guess and say there will be no actual canines there?" he asked. Hastur smiled at that.
"None at all. We have special parks for that." He winked. "I believe you're catching on to our ways! We're going to take Ha Phung Anh for a walk. The all-fours kind. Have you ever put a butt plug in someone?" he asked nonchalantly as he turned to exit.
"Never," he replied.
"Oh, it's fun!" Master LeGuin said. "Get your shoes and things and I'll meet you at the door." And with that he turned and left as swiftly as he had arrived.
Alan was left standing trying to process what had just occurred. The shame of losing his composure so thoroughly, and with a subject, was occupying a large part of his mind. This job was testing his journalistic ethics. He was frustrated with himself. However, he was also frustrated that Master LeGuin had interrupted when he had. And that frustration may have outweighed the shame.